Ship work for good cause

ANZ staff Shane Southby (left), Sam Hancock (top) and Shayle Gardyne working on the M/V Pacific Hope in readiness for its sailing in May next year. Photo / John Borren

Everything will be ship shape for a celebration aboard M/V Pacific Hope on Sunday.

The ship, part of the Marine Reach fleet, is undergoing a refit and spruce up with the help of volunteers. Yesterday staff from ANZ Bank and Crombie Lockwood grabbed paint brushes and tools to help out.

"The people from ANZ and Crombie Lockwood are just some of the people [from businesses] we have had working on board. It's a way of getting businesses involved in supporting the work of Marine Reach," said Marine Reach CEO Jesse Misa.

Marine Reach offers medical services such as optometry, dentistry and primary health care to people in the Pacific.

"It's a voluntary operation. Everyone from the CEO to the ships' crews are all unpaid," said Mr Misa.

The organisation was formed in Tauranga in 1990 and to date has provided ship-based medical services for about 400,000 people.

M/V Pacific Hope was bought in Japan and brought to New Zealand with the help of $700,000 of donations from New Zealand.

On Sunday the organisation's patron, Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby, will mark the completion of the refit of the bow section of the ship.

"We like to mark each milestone and we are also celebrating the contribution the city has made to Marine Reach and the people instrumental in getting the ship ready," said Mr Misa.

Work should be completed in time for the ship to sail for Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa in May.